USOO7759941B2

(12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 7,759,941 B2

BOSnar (45) Date of Patent: Jul. 20, 2010
(54) GROUND CONDUCTIVITY METER WITH 2005, 0104595 A1 5/2005 Nelson ....................... 324,327
AUTOMATIC CALIBRATION OTHER PUBLICATIONS
(75) Inventor: Miroslav Bosnar, Toronto (CA) Brochure "Leaders in Electromagnetics, Geophysical Instrumen
tation for Exploration and the Environment”. Geonics Limited, pub
(73) Assignee: Geonics Limited, Mississauga, Ontario lished Jan. 2006, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
(CA) “EM38 Ground Conductivity Meter Operating Manual': Geonics
Limited, published Jan. 2006, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, pp. 6, 8
(*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this and 9.
patent is extended or adjusted under 35 * cited by examiner
U.S.C. 154(b) by 402 davs.
(b) by ayS Primary Examiner Kenneth J Whittington
(21) Appl. No.: 12/027,594 (74) Attorney, Agent, Of Firm Fay Sharpe LLP
(22) Filed: Feb. 7, 2008 (57) ABSTRACT
O O A ground conductivity meter that includes a transmitter coil
(65) Prior Publication Data and a receiver coil that are horizontally spaced apart from
US 2009/O2O1 O24 A1 Aug. 13, 2009 each other, and a conductivity meter controller connected to
the transmitter and receiver coils and including an electronic
(51) Int. Cl. storage element and at least one processor, the conductivity
GOI/3/10 (2006.01) meter controller being operative to: determine a first conduc
GOI/3/12 (2006.01) tivity reading independence on signals from the receiver coil
(52) U.S. Cl. ........................ 324/337; 324/334; 324/344 when the transmitter coil and receiver coil are positioned a
(58) Field of Classification Search ................. 324/323, predetermined distance above a ground surface in one of a
324/332,334,337,344, 345; 702/2, 5 Vertical dipole orientation or a horizontal dipole orientation;
See application file for complete search history. determine a second conductivity reading in dependence on
signals from the receiver coil when the transmitter coil and
(56) References Cited receiver coil are positioned the predetermined distance above
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS the ground surface in the other of the vertical dipole orienta
tion or horizontal dipole orientation; calculate a correction
4,070,612 A * 1/1978 McNeill et al. ............. 324,334 factor in dependence on the first and second conductivity
4,109,199 A 8, 1978 Ball et al. readings and store the correction factor in the storage ele
4,388,592 A 1983 Shot et al. ment; and determine a plurality of further conductivity read
it. S. A I St.El ings in dependence on signals from the receiver coil during a
6.335617 B1 1/2002 Osadchy etal site Survey, and apply the stored correction factor to the fur
6,534,985 B. 32003 Holladay et alo 324,334 ther conductivity readings to produce corrected conductivity
6,710,599 B2 * 3/2004 Bosnar ....................... 324/334 readings for the site Survey.
7,030,759 B2 4/2006 Nelson
2003, OO16131 A1 1/2003 Nelson 21 Claims, 8 Drawing Sheets
U.S. Patent US 7,759,941 B2
U.S. Patent Jul. 20, 2010 Sheet 2 of 8 US 7,759,941 B2

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U.S. Patent Jul. 20, 2010 Sheet 3 of 8 US 7,759,941 B2

122

WIRELESS
342 NETWORK PROCESSOR 338

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DISPLAY 322

FIG. 3
U.S. Patent Jul. 20, 2010 Sheet 4 of 8 US 7,759,941 B2

414

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412

400

402

402

417 475

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FIG. 4
U.S. Patent Jul. 20, 2010 Sheet 5 of 8 US 7,759,941 B2

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U.S. Patent Jul. 20, 2010 Sheet 6 of 8 US 7,759,941 B2

Auto Mode:W Monitor 93%

Stn;

350 Place Conductivity Meter on

Monopod in Vertical Dipole Mode 322
362 and press YES when ready
358

C:-29.26 :-0.90 C:-39.65 l:222.34 354

Out disabled
Del calibr.

Auto Mode:W Monitor 94%

Stn:

350
322

C:-27.70 :-0.82 C:-37.07 :237.15

Wertical Calibration

352 FIG. 8B 354

Auto Mode:W Monitor 93%
Stn:

350
322

C:-29.61 :-0.90 C:-41.17 :220.66 354

Rotate to Horizontal Mode within 6 Seconds
Create File Calibrate Delcalibr.
352 FIG. 8C
U.S. Patent Jul. 20, 2010 Sheet 7 of 8 US 7,759,941 B2

Auto Mode:W Monitor 95%

Stn: Wer

350
322

C-35.74 :- 17.70 C:75.70 :81.21 354

Preparing for Horizontal Calibration

Auto Mode:W Monitor 95%

Stn: Hor

350
322

C:-78.55 ;8.01 C:125.31 :233.87

Horizontal Calibration 354

352 FIG. 8E
Auto Mode:W Monitor 95%
Stn: Hor

350
322

C:-67.81 :28.87 C:83.98 :206.02 354

Calibration Completed Wait for Beep
Create File Calibrate Delcalibr. J. E.
352 FIG. 8F
U.S. Patent Jul. 20, 2010 Sheet 8 of 8 US 7,759,941 B2

3.
 US 7,759,941 B2
1.
GROUND CONDUCTIVITY METER WITH
AUTOMATIC CALIBRATION
BACKGROUND
Embodiments described herein relate to ground conductiv
ity meters.
Ground conductivity meters are extensively used in a vari
ety offields, such as agriculture, archeology and groundwater
exploration among others, for ground characterization due to
their ease of use and noninvasive nature.
Ground conductivity meters typically rely on measurement
of a ratio between an extremely small ground response signal
to a relatively large signal emitted from a transmitter of the
ground conductivity meter, and thus are sensitive instru
ments. The smaller the separation between the transmitter
coil and the receiver coil the greater the sensitivity of the
instrument to the primary field effects. Maintaining calibra
tion of a ground conductivity meter over periods of time can
be difficult, especially in an environment of changing opera
tional conditions such as temperature.
Accordingly, improving the calibration of ground conduc
tivity meters is desirable.
SUMMARY
According to one example embodiment, there is provided
a ground conductivity meter that includes a transmitter coil
and a receiver coil that are horizontally spaced apart from
each other, and a conductivity meter controller connected to
the transmitter and receiver coils and including an electronic
storage element and at least one processor. The conductivity
meter controller is operative to: determine a first conductivity
reading independence on signals from the receiver coil when
the transmitter coil and receiver coil are positioned a prede
termined distance above a ground Surface in one of a vertical
dipole orientation or a horizontal dipole orientation; deter
mine a second conductivity reading independence on signals
from the receiver coil when the transmitter coil and receiver
coil are positioned the predetermined distance above the
ground surface in the other of the vertical dipole orientation or
horizontal dipole orientation; calculate a correction factor in
dependence on the first and second conductivity readings and
store the correction factor in the storage element; and deter
mine a plurality of further conductivity readings in depen
dence on signals from the receiver coil during a site Survey,
and apply the stored correction factor to the further conduc
tivity readings to produce corrected conductivity readings for
the site survey.
According to another example embodiment is a method for
calibrating and operating a ground conductivity meter. The
method includes providing a ground conductivity meter that
has a transmitter coil and a receiver coil that are horizontally
spaced apart from each other and that is configured to deter
mine apparent conductivity readings for a terrain by using the
transmitter coil to induce eddy currents in the terrain and the
receiver coil to measure a secondary magnetic field generated
in the terrain by the induced eddy currents, wherein error can
be introduced into the apparent conductivity readings, and at
a Survey site, determining a correction factor for mitigating
against the error introduced into the apparent conductivity
readings. Determining the correction factor includes: deter
mining a first apparent conductivity reading when the trans
mitter coil and receiver coil are positioned a predetermined
distance above a ground Surface in one of a vertical dipole
orientation or a horizontal dipole orientation; determining a
second apparent conductivity when the transmitter coil and
2
receiver coil are positioned the predetermined distance above
the ground surface in the other of the vertical dipole orienta
tion or horizontal dipole orientation; and calculating the cor
rection factor in dependence on the first and second conduc
tivity readings and storing the correction factor. The method
further includes applying the correction factor to apparent
ground conductivity readings obtained at the Survey site by
the conductivity meter to generate corrected apparent con
ductivity readings.
10 According to another example embodiment is an auto
mated method for calibrating a ground conductivity meter
that has a transmitter coil and a receiver coil that are horizon
tally spaced apart from each other and that is configured to
determine apparent conductivity readings for a terrain by
15 using the transmittercoil to induce eddy currents in the terrain
and the receiver coil to measure a secondary magnetic field
generated in the terrain by the induced eddy currents, the
ground conductivity meter having an associated output inter
face for providing prompts to a human operator and an asso
ciated input interface for receiving inputs from the human
operator. The calibration method includes issuing a first
prompt through the output interface to prompt the operator to
position the transmitter coil and receiver coil a predetermined
distance above a ground Surface in one of a vertical dipole
25 orientation or a horizontal dipole orientation; after issuing the
first prompt, monitoring for a first operator input through the
input interface indicating that the coils are correctly posi
tioned; upon detecting the first operator input, causing the
ground conductivity meter to take a first conductivity reading:
30 after taking the first conductivity reading, issuing a second
prompt through the output interface to prompt the operator to
position the transmitter coil and receiver coil the predeter
mined distance above the ground surface in the other of the
vertical dipole orientation or the horizontal dipole orienta
35 tion; after issuing the second prompt, monitoring to deter
mine that the coils have been moved to the correct position for
a second conductivity reading; upon determining that the
coils have been moved to the correct position for the second
conductivity reading, causing the ground conductivity meter
40 to take the second conductivity reading; and calculating a
correction factor in dependence on the first and second con
ductivity readings and storing the correction factor.
DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
45
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic front perspective view of a con
ductivity meter according to an example embodiment;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating of processing cir
cuitry of the conductivity meter of FIG. 1, according to an
50 example embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating circuitry of a logging
computer of the conductivity meter of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a side view showing the conductivity meter of
FIG. 1 mounted to telescopic pole in a first calibration posi
55 tion;
FIG. 5 is a side view showing the conductivity meter of
FIG. 1 mounted to telescopic pole in a second calibration
position;
FIG. 6 is a front view showing the conductivity meter of
60 FIG. 1 mounted to telescopic pole in the first calibration
position;
FIG. 7 is a front view showing the conductivity meter of
FIG. 1 mounted to telescopic pole in the second calibration
position;
65 FIGS. 8A to 8F illustrate user interface screens displayed
during a calibration procedure according to example embodi
ments; and
 US 7,759,941 B2
3 4
FIG. 9 is a front view showing the conductivity meter and
logging computer of FIG. 1 mounted to telescopic pole in a
use position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A commonly used technique for measuring ground con
ductivity involves energizing a transmitting coil TX that is
located on or just above the surface of the earth with an
alternating current at an audio frequency into a transmitting
coil TX. The time varying magnetic field from this alternating
current induces very small eddy currents in the earth, which in
turn generate a secondary magnetic field that is sensed by a
receiver coil RX that is located a short distances away from
the transmitting coil TX.
In general, the secondary magnetic field is a complicated
function of the inter-coil spacings, the operating frequency f.
and the ground conductivity O with the ratio of secondary to
primary magnetic field represented by:
produced by the transmitter coil has to be cancelled out so that
only a secondary field is stored as a reference. Thus, the EM
conductivity meter must be calibrated so that the effect of the
primary field on the receiver coil is “Zeroed'.
Since it is difficult to maintain zero calibration of the
instrument over any long period of time, it is often necessary
to re-calibrate an EM conductivity meter in the field, which
has been a cumbersome process in the past.
One method for Zero calibration has been based on a deter
10 mination that when the EM ground conductivity meter is
located above the groundata height that is one and a half (1.5)
times the transmitter and receiver coil separation distance for
the instrument, then the conductivity reading in the vertical
dipole (VD) orientation is approximately twice the conduc
15 tivity reading in the horizontal dipole (HD) orientation.
This relationship is illustrated in the following table 1,
which shows calculated values for VD and HD conductivity
readings for a conductivity meter located on the ground and at
a height that is equal to 1.5 times the separation between the
transmitter and receiver coils.

f o {9 – 9 + 9ys + 4(ys) + (ys) le}, (Equ. 1) TABLE 1

Calculated VD and HD Conductivity at 1.5 m above ground
25
Where: Ground Reading
Hs-secondary magnetic field at the receiver coil Con- Reading at 1.5 m Absolute Relative
duc- on ground above ground ed eror
Hp primary magnetic field at the receiver coil tivity o o (mSm o (mSm mSim %
y Viollo
(mS/m) VD HD VD HD VD HD VD HD
30
f frequency 10 9.74 9.87 2.92 15 O.O8 O.O8 0.8 O.8
Llo permeability of free space 30 28.7 29.3 8.27 4.26 O.25 O.25 O.9 O.9
O ground conductivity (Siemen/meter) 1OO 91.9 96 24.7 128 0.9 O.9 0.98 0.98
3OO 258 279 624 32.5 2.6 2.6 1 1
S intercoil spacing (meter) 1OOO 748 813 152 79.9 7.8 7.8 1.04 104
35
The equation for the field ratio is a complicated function of
the variable YS, which is, in turn, a reasonably complex func As can be seen from above table, even for highly conduc
tion of the frequency and ground conductivity. However tive ground of 100 mS/m, at a height of 1.5 m the variance of
under certain conditions the expression simplifies consider the calculated ground conductivity reading is in the range of
ably, as explained in J. D. McNeill, “Geonics Limited Tech 40
1% from the 2 to 1 VD to HD ratio.
nical Note TN-6—Electronic Terrain Conductivity Measure Based on the 2 to 1 VD to HD reading ratio, one method for
ment at Low Induction Numbers', Geonics Limited, 1980, calibrating at a ground conductivity meter is to hold the
namely: device above the ground at approximately 1.5 times its coil
separation distance, measure the conductivity in both vertical
45 and horizontal coil dipole orientations, adjust the instrument
HS --- icoptoos (Equ. 2) using a calibration knob, and then repeat the measurements
Hp : 4 and adjustments until the 2 to 1 ratio is achieved. Such a
calibration procedure can take three or four or more iterations
Given the ratio of secondary to primary magnetic fields, the until the desired ratio is achieved, requiring a great deal of
apparent conductivity O. can be calculated as: 50 human interaction with the conductivity meter.
Embodiments are described below in which the human
interaction required to calibrate a conductivity meter are Sub
4 H (Equ. 3) stantially reduced.
cra - (TE) 55
FIG. 1 illustrates an example embodiment of an EM
ground conductivity meter 100. The meter 100 includes a
rigid elongate frame or case 102 that houses at least one
The following example illustrates the relative field relation transmittercoil 104 and one receiver coil 106 at opposite ends
for a typical Small coil separation low frequency electromag thereof. In an example embodiment the frame or case 102
netic (EM) conductivity meter. With an instrument having a 1 includes a component enclosure section 108 which contains
meter coil separation between the transmitting and receiving 60 electronic components of the apparatus, including an on
coils and working at a 10 kHz operating frequency over board conductivity processor 110 and a signal generator 114.
moderately conductive ground of 50 mS/m, the ratio between In an example embodiment, a shoulder strap 125 can be
the secondary and primary field at the receiver coil input will connected to strap mounts 118, 120 that are provided on the
be approximately 0.1%, so that any change in System geom case 102 so that the meter 100 can suspended from an opera
etry or component stability will produce a large error in the 65 tor's shoulder and carried over the terrain that is being sur
instrument reading. Note that for proper instrument reading, veyed with a bottom surface of the meter 100 located at or
a signal induced in the receiver coil from the primary field near the ground. In some example embodiments the meter
 US 7,759,941 B2
5 6
100 may be mounted to a cart or vehicle or some other means
for moving it over terrain. In operation, terrain conductivity
readings are periodically determined based on measurements
made through the receiver coil 106. Conductivity readings
may be displayed in real time by a visual output such as a
digital display 112, and also recorded in a memory of the
conductivity processor 110 within the enclosure 108. In an
example embodiment, the meter 100 includes an external
logging computer 122 connected to the conductivity proces
Sor 110 through a communications link which may include,
for example, a wired connection such as a USB (universal
serial bus) connection or a wireless connection Such as a
BluetoothTM connection. Conductivity readings can also be
displayed on a display of the logging computer 122 and stored
in a persistent memory of the logging computer 122 instead of
or in addition to the conductivity processor 110. In some
example embodiments, some or all of the functions of the
logging computer 122 can be integrated into the conductivity
processor 110 Such that a separate logging computer 122 may
not be required. Similarly, in some example embodiments at
least some or all of the functions of the conductivity processor
110 can be integrated into an external computer 122. In one
example embodiment, the receiver coil 106 axis is spaced one
(1) meter apart from the axis of the transmitter coil 104,
however other separations are possible and one meter is a
merely a convenient dimension.
Prior to describing calibration of the EM conductivity
meter 100, a brief overview of the components and operation
of the conductivity meter 100 and logging computer 122 will
be provided. With reference to FIG. 2, in an example embodi
ment, the electronic components housed within the compo
nent enclosure 108 include a transmitter signal generator 114,
and a received signal processor that includes a compensation
network 226 and conductivity processor 110. The signal gen
erator 114 is configured to generate an AC current of a pre
determined frequency and amplitude, and thus will typically
include an oscillator and appropriate amplification compo
nents. The signal generator 114 is coupled through a pair of
tuning capacitors 230 to apply the AC current to transmitter
coil 104.
The receiver coil 106, which is coplanar with the transmit
ter coil 104, picks up a primary signal transmitted by the
transmitter coil 104 and a secondary signal set up by currents
induced in the terrain by the primary signal. Using techniques
known in the art, in order to avoid the secondary signal being
Swamped by the primary signal, a reference coil 234 tightly
coupled with the transmitter coil 104 is used to supply a
component of a cancellation signal applied to the receiver coil
106 through an analog compensation Summing network that
includes a compensation resistor 237 or by inductive coupling
Such that the cancellation signal component is applied in
antiphase to the primary signal received by the receiver coil
106 directly from the transmitter coil 104. The resistor 237
generates a primary field compensation Voltage (Vc) as a
result of currents (Ic) applied through a compensation net
work 226 (Vc-IcFs). An tuning capacitor 239 can be
included in the circuit. The compensation network 226 pro
vides preset adjustment 240 of the in-phase amplitude, and a
present adjustment 242 of the quadrature phase of the com
ponent applied (i.e. the component leading the component
that was applied by 90 degrees) so that the compensation
network 226 acts to cancel the primary signal received by the
receiver coil 106. As will be described in greater detail below,
the compensation networks ability to completely cancel the
primary signal effect can vary, and thus device calibration
from time to time may be required for optimal accuracy in at
least some operating environments.
The remaining un-cancelled signal from the receiver coil
106 is passed through to the conductivity processor 110. In
conductivity processor 110, the remaining un-cancelled sig
nal from the receiver coil is provided to an amplification
network 244, which provides an output signal Hs' that is
proportional to the secondary signal, and hence representa
tive of the secondary field Hs. Such output is provided to a
multiplexer 247, which also receives directly from the signal
generator 114 a signal Hp' that is proportional to the primary
10 signal generated by the transmitter coil 104, and hence rep
resentative of the primary field Hp. These primary and sec
ondary field signals are multiplexed and provided to an ana
log to digital converter 248, and the sampled values output
from converter 248 provided to a digital signal processor
15 (DSP) 250. The DSP 250, having access to the values Hs' and
Hp' that are representative of the secondary and primary fields
respectively, is configured to determine the apparent conduc
tivity O, of the terrain being measured. Such determination is
based on Equation 3 noted above (the frequency f of the
primary current, the spacing S between the transmitter and
receiver coils being known values), with the DSP 250 either
being configured to perform the calculation in real time or to
access a look up table in a persistent storage element 256
(which may be flash memory for example) to determine the
25 apparent conductivity based on pre-calculated values. As the
primary signal will generally be a constant AC profile, the
variable in Equation 3 will typically be the secondary field Hs.
In an example embodiment, the determined apparent con
ductivity can be displayed on the digital display 112 so that
30 the operator can visually associate any anomalies in the con
ductivity to the location at which they occur. Additionally, the
determined apparent conductivity can be stored in a writable
portion in one or both of persistent memory 256 or RAM 258.
If desired terrain resistivity, being the reciprocal of conduc
35 tivity, can be determined and displayed or stored in place of or
addition to conductivity.
The conductivity processor 110 further includes a micro
processor 210 and oscillator circuit 252 for providing overall
control and timing, respectively of the operation of the com
40 ponents of the conductivity processor 110. The program
memory 56 includes a persistent portion that includes the
operating instructions used by the components of the conduc
tivity processor 110. A system bus 238 interconnects the
digital components of the conductivity processor 110. A short
45 range communications interface 222 (for example a USB or
BluetoothTM interface) is provided for communications with
external devices such a logging computer 122. The conduc
tivity may also include one or more positional sensors 268
Such as gyroscope and/or a global positioning system (GPS)
50 receiver to sense the orientation and location of the conduc
tivity meter 100 at any given time. It will be appreciated that
the functionality of conductivity processor 110 could be real
ized in any number of ways as alternatives to the configura
tion shown in FIG. 2. For example, an analog circuit or a
55 circuit that included temperature compensation Such as dis
closed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,612 could be used, or a circuit
with compensating features such as shown in U.S. Pat. No.
6,710.599 could be used. Alternatively, the external logging
computer 122 could be used with an analog to digital con
60 Verter and Suitable amplifier and multiplexer components to
implement the conductivity processor 110.
FIG.3 shows a block diagram of an example embodiment
of a logging computer 122. In at least one example, the
logging computer 122 is a hand held computing device that
65 includes a communications interface 311 (for example a USB
interface or a BluetoothTM interface) for exchanging informa
tion with the conductivity processor 110. The logging com
 US 7,759,941 B2
7 8
puter 122 includes a microprocessor 338 that controls the
overall operation of the logging computer 122. The micro
processor 338 interacts with the communications interface
311 and also interacts with further device subsystems such as
a display 322, persistent memory 324, random access
memory (RAM) 326, keyboard or keypad 332, speaker 334,
and other device Subsystems. In at least one example embodi
ment the logging computer 122 includes a Global Position
System (GPS) receiver sub-system 340 so that one or both of
the logging computer and the conductivity processor 110 can
track positional data for the conductivity reading that are
taken. Display 322 may be a touchscreen display to facilitate
user input to the logging computer 122. The logging com
puter 122 can also include a two-way wireless network com
munications Subsystem 342 so that information can be
exchanged with a remote station through a wireless commu
nications link that may include for example one or more of a
satellite network or a cellular network. In example embodi
ments, the logging computer 122 and the conductivity pro
cessor 110 are each preprogrammed to operate in the manner
described herein through processor instructions stored in per
sistent memory 324, 256, respectively.
Collectively, the logging computer 122 and the electrical
and electronic components of the conductivity meter 100
(including signal generator 114, compensation circuit 226
and conductivity processor 110) provide a conductivity meter
controller 180, and it will be appreciated that the allocation of
functions among the various components of the conductivity
meter controller 180 can vary in different embodiments with
out affecting the overall operation of the calibration proce
dure described herein.
An overview of the components of the conductivity meter
100 having been provided, calibration of the conductivity
meter according to example embodiments will now be
described.
As noted above, a compensation coil 234 and compensa
tion network circuit 226 are included in the ground conduc
tivity meter 100 to cancel out the effect of the primary signal
from the transmitter coil 104 on the receivercoil 106 such that
the secondary signal that is representative of the secondary
magnetic field generated in the ground can be isolated. How
ever, the accuracy of the conductivity processor, and the com
pensation coil and compensation network circuit in com
pletely cancelling the primary signal effect, can vary
depending on factors such as electronic drift that can be
affected by changes in operating conditions such as changes
in temperature, which can introduce an error value into the
apparent conductivity readings calculated by the conductivity
processor 110. Embodiments described herein relate to a
conductivity meter and system that is allows a correction
factor that is representative of this error value to be deter
mined during a calibration procedure and then Subsequently
used to correct Survey conductivity readings.
Referring to FIGS. 4 to 7, in an example embodiment a
support assembly 415 that includes a rigid support pole 400 is
provided for use with the conductivity meter 100 in order to
support the conductivity meter case 102 at a desired height H
and in a substantially level position above ground level 475
during a calibration procedure. FIGS. 4 and 6 show side and
front views, respectively, of the conductivity meter 100 with
the transmitter and receiver coils in a vertical dipole (VD)
orientation, and FIGS. 5 and 7 show side and front views,
respectively, of the conductivity meter 100 with the transmit
ter and receiver coils in a horizontal dipole (HD) orientation.
In the illustrated example, the rigid pole 400 is a retractable
telescopic monopod that is formed of a plurality of telescopic
sections 402 that are each formed of a light, composite, non
conductive material. The rigid pole 400 is dimensioned such
that when it is extended it supports the conductivity meter 100
at a height H that is 1.5 times the separation distance between
axis of the transmitter and receiver coils 104,106. Thus, in an
example embodiment where the coil separation is one meter,
the height H will be approximately 1.5 m.
The support assembly 415 includes a holder or bracket 403
at an upper end of the Support pole 400 for releasably engag
ing the conductivity meter 100, and a bottom end 417 for
10 resting on the ground 475. Although many bracket configu
rations are possible, in the illustrated embodiment, the
bracket 403 has a U shaped configuration and includes
opposed sides 404 that are joined by a base 406 for friction
ally engaging a center area of the case 102 of conductivity
15 meter 100. The bracket 403 is pivotally mounted by a hinge
assembly 408 to a support 410 located at the upper end of pole
400 such that the conductivity meter case 102 can be partially
rotated 90 degrees between the coil vertical dipole (VD)
orientation shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 and the coil horizontal
dipole (HD) orientation shown in FIGS. 5 and 7.
In an example embodiment, a logging computer holder 412
is fastened to one of the pole sections 402 for releasably
securing the logging computer 122 to the pole 400.
In an example embodiment the logging computer 122 is
25 configured to facilitate calibration of the conductivity meter
100, as will now be explained with reference to FIGS. 8A to
8F which each show an interactive user interface screen 350
that is displayed on the display 322 of logging computer 122.
As seen in FIG. 8A, the user interface screen 350 includes a
30 user selectable “Calibrate option that is represented on
screen 350 by a user selectable “Calibrate” icon or button352.
The calibration option may be selected by a user for example,
at the beginning of a day, after a battery change for the
conductivity meter, when arriving at a new Survey site, and/or
35 when there has been a change in temperature throughout the
Survey duration, among other times. In example embodi
ments, a user can start the calibration procedure by pressing a
designated key on keypad 332 (for example an “a” key), or by
selecting the on-screen calibrate button 352 either by touch
40 ing the display 322 at the appropriate spot or using navigation
keys on keypad 332.
Once the calibration procedure has been started, as shown
in FIG. 8A, the user 600 is presented in interface 350 with a
prompt in the form of a window 358 that includes instructions
45 to place the conductivity meter 100 in a vertical dipole orien
tation on the monopod support pole 400, as is shown in FIGS.
4 and 6. The user is prompted to select a “Yes” button 362 to
indicate to the logging computer 100 when the conductivity
meter 100 is properly positioned. In an alternative example
50 embodiment, readings from positional sensors such as sensor
268 of the conductivity meter 100 can be used by the logging
computer 122 to double check that the conductivity meter 100
is in the correct position or to automatically indicate that the
conductivity meter is in the correct position.
55 Once the conductivity meter is correctly positioned, the
logging computer 122 instructs the conductivity processor
110 to take a vertical dipole conductivity reading Or, and the
logging computer 122 receives and stores the result. As indi
cated in FIG. 8B in one example embodiment, the user inter
60 face screen 350 includes a message region 354 that provides
feedback to a user as to the current status of the calibration
procedure. In FIG. 8B, while the vertical dipole conductivity
reading O, is being determined, the message region 354
displays a message such as “Vertical Calibration’ to prompt
65 the user to wait and hold the support 400 and conductivity
meter 100 steady while the vertical conductivity reading O,
is taken.
 US 7,759,941 B2
After the vertical dipole reading is completed, which may
for example take a few seconds, the logging computer 122
will issue an audible beep or other audible prompton speaker
334, and as shown in FIG. 8C, display a message in the
message area 354 instructing the user 600 to rotate the con
ductivity meter 100 to the horizontal dipole position (which is
shown in FIGS. 5 and 7). In some example embodiments, the
logging computer 122 is configured to terminate the calibra
tion procedure if the calibration meter 100 is not rotated to the
horizontal position within a predetermined time interval after
completing the vertical dipole reading. For example, the pre
determined time out duration in the illustrated embodiment is
approximately 6 seconds, and so the message in message
region 352 of FIG. 8C states “Rotate to Horizontal Mode
within 6 seconds' it will be appreciated that 6 seconds is
merely an illustrative example of a time limit and shorter or
longer time periods can be used. If the conductivity meter 100
is not rotated within the allotted time out duration, the logging
computer 110 terminates the calibration procedure and dis
plays a message such as “Horizontal Mode Failed Wait for
Beep'.
While waiting for the time-out duration to expire, in an
example embodiment, the logging computer 122 is config
ured to determine based on information received from the
position sensor 268 of the conductivity processor 110 if the
conductivity meter 100 is rotated from the vertical dipole
position of FIGS. 4 and 6 to the horizontal dipole position of
FIGS. 5 and 7. If rotation is detected, then logging computer
122 automatically proceeds with instructing the conductivity
processor 110 to take a horizontal dipole conductivity reading
O, and the logging computer 122 then receives and stores
the resulting horizontal dipole conductivity reading Oz. In
particular, as shown in FIG. 8D, in the illustrated example
embodiment, once rotation of the conductivity meter 100 is
detected, the message “Preparing for Horizontal Calibration'
is displayed in message region 354, and after a small delay to
allow for stabilization the horizontal dipole conductivity
reading O, is taken while the message "Horizontal Calibra
tion' is displayed in the message region 354, as shown in FIG.
8E.
In at least one alternative embodiment, the horizontal
dipole reading is not automatically conducted after rotation of
the conductivity meter 100, but rather the logging computer
122 waits for user input to confirm that the meter is ready for
the horizontal dipole reading.
Once both the vertical dipole conductivity reading Or, and
the horizontal dipole conductivity reading O, have been
taken, the logging computer 122 determines and stores a
correction factor AV based on the following expression:
A Y-2O t-Old (Equ. 4)
The correction factor takes into account the determination
noted above that at a height of at least 1.5 times the coil
separation, the horizontal dipole conductivity reading should
substantially be twice the vertical dipole conductivity read
ing.
In one example embodiment, while the correction factor
AV is being determined, the logging computer 122 displays a
message such as “Calibration Completed Wait for Beep' in
message area 354, and after the correction factor AV is deter
mined and stored, and audible beep is generated on speaker
334 and the logging computer 122 returns to a normal mode
of operation. In an example embodiment, the correction fac
tor AV is stored at one or both of the persistent storage
elements 256,324 of the conductivity processor 110 and the
logging computer 122.
10
Although in the procedure described above the vertical
dipole reading is taken before the horizontal dipole reading,
this order can be reversed and the horizontal dipole reading
could be taken before the vertical dipole reading in some
embodiments.
In a normal survey mode, the support pole 400 is either
detached from conductivity meter 100 or is retracted and
folded into a storage position that is parallel to the conduc
tivity meter 100 so that the conductivity meter 100 can be
10 moved about the survey site suspended from a user's shoulder
with the bottom of the case 102 located at or near ground
level. In this respect, in one example embodiment, the Support
410 is pivotally connected to the top end of pole 400 to allow
the pole 400 to be folded in a retracted position parallel to the
15 conductivity meter 100 as is shown in FIG. 9.
In the normal survey mode of operation of the conductivity
meter 100, the conductivity processor 110 determines, in
dependence for example on a conductivity equation Such as
equation 3, a series of apparent conductivity readings O at
various locations throughout the site being Surveyed. The
conductivity readings O (which may or may not be tempera
ture compensated by the conductivity processor 110 using
known techniques) are passed to the logging computer 122
which then applies the correction factor AV to each of the
25 conductivity readings O, to automatically calculate a cali
brated or corrected conductivity reading O. In particular, in
Some example embodiments, the correction factor AV is Sub
tracted from each conductivity readings O. to provide a series
of corrected conductivity reading O.
30 In an example embodiment each conductivity reading O is
provided by the conductivity processor 110 in real time as it
is determined during a site survey to the logging computer
122 which then immediately calculates an associated cor
rected conductivity reading O, and both the raw conductivity
35 reading O, and corrected conductivity reading O. are stored in
one or both of the RAM326 or persistent memory 324 of the
logging computer along with associated positional informa
tion derived from GPS receiver 340 and/or other positional
sensors 268. At the completion of a site survey, the survey
40 data including the raw conductivity readings O and corrected
conductivity readings O., correction factor AV and associated
positional data can be uploaded from the logging computer
122 for further processing and analysis. In a situation where
the conductivity meter is re-calibrated during a site Survey,
45 the new correction factor(s) AV can be included with the data
set stored at the logging computer 122 for the Survey, with
each correction factor being associated with the set of con
ductivity readings that it has been applied to. In some example
embodiments, the raw conductivity readings O are discarded
50 once the corrected conductivity readings O. are determined
and stored at the logging computer as the correction factor AV
that is saved in association with the corrected conductivity
readings that it has been applied to allows the raw conductiv
ity data to be derived later if required.
55 In at least Some example embodiments or operational
modes, the conductivity readings need not be corrected in real
time, but could be stored and then the correction factor AV
applied at a future time either at the logging computer 122 or
at a computer where the data is uploaded for further process
60 ing. Also, the correction factor AV could be applied to the raw
conductivity readings O at the conductivity processor 110
instead of the logging computer 122 and the corrected con
ductivity readings O. displayed in real time on the conductiv
ity processor display screen 112.
65 In some example embodiments the use of a Support pole
400 during the calibration procedure provides some assur
ance that the conductivity meter 100 is supported at the
 US 7,759,941 B2
11
required height during the procedure, reducing the opportu
nity for user-induced errors. However in some example
embodiments, the calibration process could be used with a
Support of known height having a configuration other than
Support pole 400, and in Some embodiments no support may
be used other than reliance on an operator to hold the meter at
the necessary height.
It will be appreciated that in at least some example embodi
ments, the calibration system and procedure described herein
can be time efficient and easy to perform and reduce the
opportunity for operator-introduced errors. The calibration
procedure can be used to reduce error introduced by the
primary field.
By way of non-limiting example, the automated calibration
system and method described herein can be applied to the
EM38 family of conductivity meters available from the
assignee Geonics Limited.
The embodiments described above are example embodi
ments and variations are possible.
The invention claimed is:
1. A ground conductivity meter comprising:
a transmitter coil and a receiver coil that are horizontally
spaced apart from each other, and
a conductivity meter controller connected to the transmit
ter and receiver coils and including an electronic storage
element and at least one processor, the conductivity
meter controller being operative to:
determine a first conductivity reading in dependence on
signals from the receiver coil when the transmitter
coil and receiver coil are positioned a predetermined
distance above a ground Surface in one of a vertical
dipole orientation or a horizontal dipole orientation;
determine a second conductivity reading in dependence
on signals from the receiver coil when the transmitter
coil and receiver coil are positioned the predeter
mined distance above the ground Surface in the other
of the vertical dipole orientation or horizontal dipole
orientation;
calculate a correction factor in dependence on the first
and second conductivity readings and store the cor
rection factor in the storage element; and
determine a plurality of further conductivity readings in
dependence on signals from the receiver coil during a
site Survey, and apply the stored correction factor to
the further conductivity readings to produce corrected
conductivity readings for the site Survey.
2. The ground conductivity meter of claim 1 wherein the
predetermined distance above the ground Surface is at least
1.5 times a distance that the receiver coil is horizontally
spaced from the transmitter coil.
3. The ground conductivity meter of claim 2 wherein the
correction factor is determined in dependence on a relation
ship:
A Y-2O t-Old
Where:
AV is the correction factor,
O, is the conductivity reading when the transmitter coil
and receiver coil are positioned the predetermined dis
tance above the ground Surface in the horizontal dipole
orientation, and
Or, is the conductivity reading when the transmitter coil
and receiver coil are positioned the predetermined dis
tance above the ground Surface in the vertical dipole
orientation.
12
4. The ground conductivity meter of claim 3 wherein the
correction factor is summed with each of the further conduc
tivity readings to produce the corrected conductivity readings
for the site survey.
5. The ground conductivity meter of claim 1 wherein the
transmitter coil and receiver coil are housed within a rigid
case, the ground conductivity meter further including a Sup
port assembly having a bracket engaging the rigid case and
having a lower end for engaging the ground Surface, the
10
Support assembly being dimensioned to support the case Sub
stantially at the predetermined distance above the ground
Surface.
6. The ground conductivity meter of claim 5 wherein the
15 bracket is pivotally mounted at an upper end of the Support
assembly for movement between a first position in which the
receiver coil and the transmitter coil are positioned the pre
determined distance above the ground surface in the vertical
dipole orientation and a second position in which the receiver
coil and the transmitter coil are positioned the predetermined
distance above the ground Surface in the horizontal dipole
orientation.
7. The ground conductivity meter of claim 6 comprising a
positional sensor for indicating to the conductivity meter
25
controller when the receiver coil and the transmitter coil are
moved between the vertical dipole orientation and the hori
Zontal dipole orientation, the controller being operative to
automatically determine the second conductivity reading
30 upon receiving, after determining the first conductivity read
ing, an indication from the positional sensor that the receiver
coil and the transmitter coil have moved between the vertical
dipole orientation and the horizontal dipole orientation.
8. The ground conductivity meter of claim 6 wherein the
35
Support assembly includes a telescopic pole that extends to
Support the rigid case at a height that is at least 1.5 times the
spacing between the transmitter and receiver coils.
9. The ground conductivity meter of claim 1 wherein the
40 conductivity meter controller includes an output interface for
providing prompts to a human operator and an input interface
for receiving inputs from the human operator, and wherein the
conductivity meter controller is operative to, as part of a
calibration procedure: (a) prior to determining the first con
45 ductivity reading, issue a first prompt through the output
interface to prompt the operator to position the transmitter
coil and receiver coil the predetermined distance above the
ground Surface in one of the vertical dipole orientation or the
horizontal dipole orientation; (b) after issuing the first
50 prompt, determine the first conductivity reading upon receiv
ing an operator input through the input interface indicating
that the coils are correctly positioned; (c) Subsequent to deter
mining the first conductivity reading and prior to determining
the second conductivity reading, issue a second prompt
55 through the output interface to prompt the operator to position
the transmitter coil and receiver coil the predetermined dis
tance above the ground surface in the other of the vertical
dipole orientation or the horizontal dipole orientation; and (d)
after issuing the second prompt, determine the second con
60 ductivity reading upon detecting that the transmitter coil and
the receiver coil has been moved to the correct position for the
second conductivity reading.
10. The ground conductivity meter of claim 9 wherein the
conductivity meter controller includes a positional sensor for
65 automatically detecting that the transmitter coil and the
receiver coil has been moved to the correct position for the
second conductivity reading.
 US 7,759,941 B2
13
11. The ground conductivity meter of claim 1 wherein the
transmitter coil and the receiver coil are mounted to an elon
gate rigid frame and wherein the conductivity meter control
ler includes:
a signal generator housed within the rigid frame and con
nected to the transmitter coil to Supply a time-varying
current thereto for inducing current in the ground;
a compensation circuit housed within the rigid frame for at
least partially isolating from signals received by the first
receiver coil secondary signals representative of a sec
ondary magnetic field generated in the ground by the
eddy currents;
a conductivity processor housed within the rigid frame for
determining the further ground conductivity readings in
dependence on the at least partially isolated secondary
signals; and
a logging computer that is separate from the rigid frame
and connected to the conductivity processor by a com
munications link through which the logging computer
receives the further ground conductivity readings, the
logging computer being configured to apply the stored
correction factor to the further ground conductivity
readings to produce the corrected conductivity readings
for the site survey.
12. A method for calibrating and operating a ground con
ductivity meter comprising:
providing a ground conductivity meter that has a transmit
ter coil and a receiver coil that are horizontally spaced
apart from each other and that is configured to determine
apparent conductivity readings for a terrain by using the
transmittercoil to induce eddy currents in the terrain and
the receiver coil to measure a secondary magnetic field
generated in the terrain by the induced eddy currents,
wherein error can be introduced into the apparent con
ductivity readings;
at a Survey site, determining a correction factor for miti
gating against the error introduced into the apparent
conductivity readings, wherein determining the correc
tion factor includes:
determining a first apparent conductivity reading when
the transmitter coil and receiver coil are positioned a
predetermined distance above a ground Surface in one
of a vertical dipole orientation or a horizontal dipole
orientation;
determining a second apparent conductivity when the
transmitter coil and receiver coil are positioned the
predetermined distance above the ground Surface in
the other of the vertical dipole orientation or horizon
tal dipole orientation; and
calculating the correction factor in dependence on the
first and second conductivity readings and storing the
correction factor, and
applying the correction factor to apparent ground conduc
tivity readings obtained at the Survey site by the conduc
tivity meter to generate corrected apparent conductivity
readings.
13. The method claim 12 wherein the predetermined dis
tance above the ground Surface is at least 1.5 times a distance
that the receiver coil is horizontally spaced from the transmit
tercoil, and the correction factor is determined independence
on a relationship:
A Y-2O-O.
Where:
AV is the correction factor,
14
O, is the conductivity reading when the transmitter coil
and receiver coil are positioned the predetermined dis
tance above the ground Surface in the horizontal dipole
orientation, and
Or, is the conductivity reading when the transmitter coil
and receiver coil are positioned the predetermined dis
tance above the ground Surface in the vertical dipole
orientation.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein the correction factor is
10
Subtracted from each of the apparent ground conductivity
readings to produce the corrected conductivity readings.
15. The method of claim 12 wherein the transmitter coil
and receiver coil are housed within a rigid case, further
15 including providing a Support assembly having a bracket
engaging the rigid case and having a lower end for engaging
the ground Surface, the Support assembly being dimensioned
to Support the case Substantially at the predetermined distance
above the ground Surface.
16. An automated method for calibrating a ground conduc
tivity meter that has a transmitter coil and a receiver coil that
are horizontally spaced apart from each other and that is
configured to determine apparent conductivity readings for a
terrain by using the transmitter coil to induce eddy currents in
25 the terrain and the receiver coil to measure a secondary mag
netic field generated in the terrain by the induced eddy cur
rents, the ground conductivity meter having an associated
output interface for providing prompts to a human operator
and an associated input interface for receiving inputs from the
30 human operator, the calibration method comprising:
issuing a first prompt through the output interface to
prompt the operator to position the transmitter coil and
receiver coil a predetermined distance above a ground
Surface in one of a vertical dipole orientation or a hori
35 Zontal dipole orientation;
after issuing the first prompt, monitoring for a first operator
input through the input interface indicating that the coils
are correctly positioned;
upon detecting the first operator input, causing the ground
40
conductivity meter to take a first conductivity reading;
after taking the first conductivity reading, issuing a second
prompt through the output interface to prompt the opera
tor to position the transmitter coil and receiver coil the
45 predetermined distance above the ground Surface in the
other of the vertical dipole orientation or the horizontal
dipole orientation;
after issuing the second prompt, monitoring to determine
that the coils have been moved to the correct position for
50 a second conductivity reading:
upon determining that the coils have been moved to the
correct position for the second conductivity reading,
causing the ground conductivity meter to take the second
conductivity reading; and
55
calculating a correction factor in dependence on the first
and second conductivity readings and storing the correc
tion factor.
17. The method claim 16 wherein the predetermined dis
60 tance above the ground Surface is at least 1.5 times a distance
that the receiver coil is horizontally spaced from the transmit
tercoil, and the correction factor is determined independence
on a relationship:
A Y-2O-O.
65
Where:
AV is the correction factor,
 US 7,759,941 B2
15
O, is the conductivity reading when the transmitter coil
and receiver coil are positioned the predetermined dis
tance above the ground Surface in the horizontal dipole
orientation, and
Or, is the conductivity reading when the transmitter coil
and receiver coil are positioned the predetermined dis
tance above the ground Surface in the vertical dipole
orientation.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein if a predetermined
time period passes during monitoring to determine that the
coils have been moved to the correct position for a second
conductivity reading and the coils have not been moved to the
correct position during the predetermined time period the
calibration method is automatically terminated.
19. The method of claim 16 wherein monitoring to deter
mine that the coils have been moved to the correct position for
16
the second conductivity reading comprises monitoringaposi
tional sensor of the ground conductivity meter.
20. The method of claim 16 wherein the correction factor
represents an error introduced into apparent conductivity
readings by the conductivity meter, the method further
including Subtracting the correction factor with each of a
plurality of apparent conductivity readings made by the con
ductivity meter subsequent to the calculation of the correction
factor.
10
21. A conductivity meter controller having at least one
microprocessor and electronic storage element, the controller
being configured to perform the calibration method of claim
16.
15